AB1713 EVALUATION OF A TRAINING COURSE ON EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT WHEN BREAKING BAD NEWS IN RHEUMATOLOGY
Authors: G. Khaldi, S. Miladi, W. Abdelghaffar, A. Fazaa, H. Boussaa, M. Yasmine, K. Ben Abdelghani, R. Rafrafi, M. A. Laatar
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> In recent years, attitudes towards breaking bad news have changed dramatically to emphasize patient autonomy and avoid psychological harm [1]. As a result, learning how to deliver bad news efficiently became a fundamental clinical skill in professional practice. [2]. In the field of rheumatology, with learning focused on technical skills, gaps in communication skills are to date significant. <h3>Objectives</h3> The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a training workshop on the disclosure of bad news in rheumatology. <h3>Methods</h3> We conducted a prospective, multicenter, interventional study over a six-month period during the academic year 2021-2022. 31 residents were recruited on a voluntary basis. Two groups were individualized: The training group A (N=16) and the control group B (N=15). The training session included interactive lectures, video-case studies, role-playing and peer-to-peer discussions. A self-administered survey was used to assess residents' abilities to deliver bad news before and three months after the training. <h3>Results</h3> The comparison of the patient emotion management scores between the two groups in the post-training period showed no significant difference (p=0.115). And although there was a slight improvement in the scores in post-training, no significance was found either in the training group (p=0.488) or in the control group (p=0.523). In terms of managing residents' emotions, most residents in both groups experienced neutral feelings during the periods of silence during the announcement consultation, and there was no discernible difference between the two groups at either time. The percentage of residents in group A who felt negatively during the times of silence significantly decreased by 38% after the training (T3) (p=0.013), while the percentage of residents who felt positively increased by 25% (p=0.033). In Group B, no significant difference was found between the two time periods in terms of feelings during quiet time. Although the basic skills of the residents in dealing with stressful moments were quite good as more than 50% of the residents in both groups were able to maintain their neutrality during these difficult moments, it was shown that the training had a positive impact on the residents' feelings during stressful moments such as the silent moments. At the end of the announcement, most residents in both groups unanimously had negative feelings (desolation and sadness) with no significant difference between the two groups at either time. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Emotional skills training requires a lot of practice and review, which was not possible during our one-day training intervention. However, our training workshop, although short in duration, had partially improved residents' ability to respond to emotional cues. <h3>References</h3> [1]Tang WR, Chen KY, Hsu SH, Juang YY, Chiu SC, Hsiao SC, et al. Effectiveness of japanese SHARE model in improving taiwanese healthcare personnel's preference for cancer truth-telling: Effectiveness of SHARE model CST in taiwan. Psycho-Oncology. 2014 Mar;23(3):259‑65. [2]VandeKieft G. Breaking Bad News. Am Fam Physician. Dec 2001;64(12):1975. <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> NIL. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.